***If you're ice cream machine has a bowl that needs to be frozen, place it in the freezer now!
Baked Croissants Pieces
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
Slice baked croissants into 1/2-inch chunks and place them into a mixing bowl.
2-3 baked croissants
Toss croissant pieces with the melted butter and sugar. Spread them in an even layer on the baking pan.
3 Tbsp salted butter, 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
Bake for 20-30 minutes, tossing halfway until golden brown and crunchy. Careful not to over-bake. Cool and set aside until ready to assemble ice cream.
Roast Coffee Beans
Place coffee beans on a baking tray and roast for 3 minutes at 350℉ (180℃). Let cool, then slightly mash or grind them into large broken pieces.
60 grams whole coffee beans , 500 grams/ml heavy cream
Steep the Cream with Coffee Beans
Place the cream and coffee beans in a medium saucepan. Stir together and heat on medium until steaming almost a simmer. Remove from the heat.
Cover the pot with a piece of plastic wrap to trap in the steam and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour to infuse the dairy with coffee notes.
Strain out the beans and re-measure the cream. The coffee beans will absorb some of the cream and we'll need all of it for the ice cream base.
Replace any lost volume of cream to the pot, then stir in the milk and espresso powder.
Heat mixture until it reads 113℉ (45℃) on instant thermometer, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the granulated sugar, followed by slowly drizzling in the beaten egg yolks, while constantly whisking. Since the liquid is not too hot at this point, it's easier to temper the eggs right after the sugar and directly into the base.
133 grams granulated sugar, 100 grams egg yolks
Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook the base until it reaches between 180-185℉ (82-85℃) on the thermometer. Stir continuously with a whisk to prevent over-cooking the custard at the bottom of the saucepan.
The ice cream base is cooked when it reaches desired temperature, when it coats the back of a spoon and you can easily draw a line through the custard with your finger tip.
Immediately remove from heat and pour the custard through the mesh sieve into the large bowl.
Stir in the vanilla. Cool the base to room temperature, occasionally stirring to prevent a skin from forming.
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
Once cooled, place a layer of plastic wrap directly onto the custard and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. This "aging" step is important to create a cold ice cream base for churning.
Churn and Freeze
Remove the cold ice cream base from the fridge. Blend with a handheld immersion blender for smoothness. Pour into your ice cream machine. Churn as directed for your machine, usually 28-30 minutes.
The ice cream should look like soft serve when it's done.
Spoon 1/3 of the ice cream into a chilled freezer safe storage container. Sprinkle with the baked croissant pieces and stir gently to mix them in.
Repeat with remaining ice cream and croissant chunks.
Cover container with lid or plastic wrap and freeze for about 3-4 hours before serving.
Video
Notes
Milk Powder: The addition of milk powder is optional and can be found in the supermarket with the canned milks. You can leave it out, but I suggest giving it a try, as it improves the overall mouthfeel or texture by adding protein and absorbing excess water.Honey or Glucose or Corn Syrup: Glucose is flavorless and not very sweet. The addition of liquid glucose helps to inhibit sugar crystallization, resulting in a smoother ice cream. It can be swapped 1:1 for corn syrup or honey, both of which will increase the overall sweetness of the ice cream.